The Love is the Life
by belasgrl
Summary: Count Duckula's daughter is a typical vampire. Can they get along despite their differences?
1. Chapter 1

Deep in the heart of Transylvania, in a crumbling, ancient castle on top of a hill, a piercing scream filled the air. It echoed through Castle Duckula's halls. The scream originated from Count Duckula himself, who was eating in the dining hall. He covered his mouth while Igor and Nanny watched. Nanny looked concerned, while Igor just stared with his usual stoic expression.

Sitting across from Count Duckula was a teenage girl who looked a lot like him, only with lighter green feathers and red eyes. She wore a long-sleeved black dress that reached the floor. She looked up from her meal and asked in a monotone voice, "Father, what is the matter?"

The Count uncovered his mouth. "The soup is too hot!" He was quite annoyed, mostly with himself.

The teen went back to slowly eating her dinner, which was a bowl of red soup. "Perhaps if you'd have waited until it cooled, you wouldn't have burnt your tongue."

Duckula sighed. "Yes, Patty, I know. I'm just hungry."

"Please don't call me that, Father," the young countess said with no emotion.

"Patricia, I really wish you wouldn't call me Father," Duckula said, as patiently as he could. "It's so stuffy and formal."

"What would you rather I call you?"

"Dad. Pops. Pa. Anything but Father."

Patricia stared at her father, blankly, for a moment, before replying, "Those terms are...unelegant."

Duckula sighed. "Never mind." He ate, his vegetable soup cooler than before. He made a face, attempting to chew. "Nanny, what did you put in this soup?"

"Carrots, turnips, celery, and rocks."

"Oh, alri-ROCKS?!"

"Yes. We ran out of potatoes."

Duckula, exasperated, got up from the table. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, Patricia."

"Yes, Father."

Duckula shook his head and went upstairs. Patricia kept eating, quietly.

"Countess, it is Wednesday," Igor said.

"Hm?" The teenager seemed distracted.

The butler repeated himself. "It is nearly time for you to go hunting."

"Oh, yes," Patricia said. "We'll go after I finish my soup."

"Very good, milady."

After Patricia finished her meal, she and Igor left the castle and headed to the village.


	2. Chapter 2

Igor drove a carriage to the village, and Patricia rode inside. When they arrived, Igor stopped and let Patricia out.

"I shall find you a victim, milady," the butler. The teen simply nodded, then Igor walked off. A few minutes later, he came back with one of the male peasants. Patricia paused. "Here you are, Countess. This one should be a good enough."

Patricia stepped forward, her fangs protruding. As she got ready to drink from the peasant, she gagged. Igor looked confused. "Countess?"

"I...am not feeling well. I wish to go home."

"But, milady-"

"Now." Patricia got back into the carriage. Igor sighed and let go of the peasant and drove the carriage back to the castle.

When they returned, Count Duckula was waiting for them at the door. He wore a nightgown and matching cap. Crossing his arms, he asked, frowning, "And just WHERE have you two been?"

"We just went for a ride, milord," Igor replied.

Patricia tried to enter the castle, but Duckula blocked the door. "Uh, huh. At 10:30 at night?"

"Well, the Countess is nocturnal."

"Father, please move. I'd like to go inside," Patricia stated.

"Not until you two tell me what you were up to," the Count said, sternly.

A look of panic briefly crossed Patricia's face, but it quickly was replaced by her normal blank look. "I...was looking for a meal," she slowly said.

"But we have food here," Duckula said. Suddenly, he became disgusted. "Oh, THAT kind of meal? Patricia Duckula, how can you do that?! That's disgusting!"

"Well, milord, she's a Duckula and also a proper vampire," Igor said.

"You! You influenced her to do this!" Duckula shouted, pointing at Igor. "She's MY daughter! Quit trying to mold her into what you want her to be!"

Patricia backed away from them, finally teleporting to her room. She locked the door, then laid on her bed. She could hear the echoes of her father's shouts, and she buried her face in a pillow, eventually falling asleep.

An hour later, she was woken up by a knock at her door. "Who is it?" she asked, sleepily.

"It's me," she heard her father answer.

"Just a moment." Patricia immediately put on a serious expression and got out of bed and unlocked the door, opening it.

Count Duckula stood in front of the doorway. He looked disappointed and worried. "Patricia, can we talk?"

She nodded and let him in the room.

"I know we're Duckulas, and I know our family has done a lot of horrible things, but that doesn't mean you and I have to be like that, too."

"Morality differs from person to person."

"I know, but hurting people isn't right, no matter who you are. Patricia, I don't want you doing something you'll regret for eternity." He looked down at the floor. "I don't want my child to suffer or cause suffering."

Patricia hesitated, not able to fully read his emotions. She knew plenty of the Duckula family history. Igor always talked about her ancestors in a great light, while her father avoided the subject altogether. All she could do at that moment was stare at her father in silence.

Duckula sighed. "Please...just...think about how your actions affect others. You don't want to go throughout your life being a...monster. Good night, Patricia." With that, he left the room.

Patricia laid back down on her bed, hugging a pillow. Her father's words echoed in her mind and wouldn't stop until she fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon, another teenage female duck trudged up a hill, wearing a backpack and looking at a map and some instructions. Mumbling to herself, she looked around, confused. "I don't see an airship. Who lives in an airship, anyway?"

After walking for awhile, the girl sat down on a rock, not taking her eyes away from the map. "Maybe I'm on a wild goosechase," she said to herself, sighing.

At that moment, she noticed something move near her. Looking up at the sky, she saw a white airship with the letters "VG" in yellow in a red circle on the side gradually lowering. A ladder rolled out of the side, and Dr. Von Goosewing climbed down and onto the ground. The girl stood up and met him. "Hello. I'm Bria."

"Hallo. You must be mein new assistant." They shook hands.

"Yes. I wasn't sure if I came to the right place. I'm not from around here."

"I see. Well, get in. We have much work to do."

Bria looked up at the airship and took a deep breath, then followed Von Goosewing into it.

"We must hurry. Hopefully, you will be more useful than Heinrich," the old doctor said.

"Heinrich, Doctor?"

"Mein other assistant. He isn't around half the time," he replied, frustrated.

Wanting to make a good impression, Bria said in the most formal voice she could manage, "I am very reliable, sir. I won't let you down."

"I am hoping not." Von Goosewing seemed to be a bit awkward around her for some reason. Perhaps he was just distracted. He rummaged through a box.

"Sir, I was wondering when-"

"Where is it? It was in here a second ago!"

"What are you looking for, Doctor?"

"Mein garlic gun."

"Garlic...gun?"

"Ja. I swear I put it in this box."

Bria looked around and pointed to an odd-looking gun by the controls. "Is that it, sir?"

Von Goosewing's face lit up. "Ah! There it is! Danke!" As he grabbed it, he stated, "Come. We must carry out the plan."

"Plan?"

"Ja. I will tell you about it once we get there."

Von Goosewing went to the controls and flew the airship near a old, ruined castle. Bria was extremely confused but went along with it. This was her one chance to kickstart a career, and even her life.

"This is the perfect chance for me to finally rid the world of that menace!" Dr. Von Goosewing shouted as he landed the airship on the ground near the castle.

Confused, Bria asked, "Menace, sir?"

"That vicious, villainous, vile vampire!"

Bria was starting to think maybe meeting Von Goosewing had been a bad idea. "But, there's no such thing as-"

"Count Duckula! Tsch! Must I explain everything?!"

"Yeah. I just wanted to see if you'd teach me-"

"I will teach you to be a great vampire hunter, but first, we must destroy Count Duckula! The world depends on it!"

Bria shrugged, figuring out that arguing with him would be useless. She didn't really know anything about him except for the tiny ad he had put in the newspaper asking for an assistant. She never could have imagined that he meant he needed an assistant for hunting vampires. What had she gotten herself into?

Von Goosewing explained his plan. "Now, you go to the door. I will be hiding at the side of the castle. You talk to the Count, and when the moment is right, I will ambush him. Here, take this." He handed her a knife.

Bria quickly put it away, nervously. "What if he attacks me?"

"He won't have a chance. I will stop him before he does anything."

The young girl thought, uncertain, "At least his heart is in the right place?" With that, they walked up the steep hill to the castle. She rang the doorbell, and soon, the door opened.

In the doorway stood a girl about her age with black hair and pale green feathers. She wore a black dress with long sleeves. She stared at Bria for a bit before asking, "May I help you?"

Von Goosewing hadn't told Bria what to say nor had given her any kind of script, so, on the spot, she said, immediately putting on a smile, "Howdy! Today is your lucky day, miss!"

"Why? Is it supposed to rain?"

At Bria's confused expression, the other girl stated, "I enjoy rainy days; it's better for my skin."

"But you're covered in feathers."

"So are you. Anyway, what do you want?"

Bria plastered on the overly-cheerful smile once again. "Like I said, today is your lucky day! I'm offering you and your family a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go on the holiday of your dreams!"

The other girl raised an eyebrow but let Bria continue. "Yes, ma'am, you and your family can go anywhere in Europe! All you have to do is mail a check to this address!- Ah, do you have a pen and paper?"

The girl held out her hand, and with a deadpan expression, somehow conjured up a pen and paper and handed them to Bria. Bria took them, gaping. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a magician."

Bria blushed, slightly, then remembered her mission and wrote down a fake company name and address. "Here, you go. Just give this to your parents and have them mail the check."

The other girl looked at the paper, skeptically. "Bria's Travel Guides? I assume you're Bria?"

"Yes, ma'am. And you are?"

"Countess Patricia Duckula." She held out her hand and shook Bria's. "I will give this paper to my father on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You meet me here tonight," Patricia whispered.

Bria's eyes widened. The blush crept across her face once again. "Okay! Sure thing!"

"See you then," Patricia stated before closing the door.

Once Bria walked away, Von Goosewing came out of his hiding spot. "What happened? Where is Count Duckula?"

"Oh. I...uh..."

"Never mind. I will work out a new plan. Come! We must get ready!"

Bria shrugged and followed Von Goosewing, only thinking about the pretty girl she just met.


End file.
